Creating a document like a client guide can be a daunting thought that can lead to some serious procrastination. That’s why this week’s video is here to answer the question… “How can I create a client guide for my services quickly?”
Client guides can be digital PDFs that you email to clients who enquire or high quality printed brochures that you give to clients in person. They can also be YouTube videos or posts on social media. All of these delivery methods are ways that you educate your ideal client about why it’s going to be a great idea for them to work with you.
I want to help you to create a client guide that looks great but doesn’t take you a month or two to complete.
If you would like to check out more about the Canva Collection and everything that is included you can do so by clicking this link.
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Hi there. So this week’s video is about how to create service guides for your clients quickly. My name is Amy Hardie and I’m a graphic designer. I empower service-based business owners to market their business without spending a ton of time or money through using design templates amongst other things.
So what you can expect to learn in this video? It’s not a very long video and it’s the secret to creating stunning client guides, welcome packets and pricing templates without hiring a designer. Plus how to save time time and remain consistent with all your client communication. And how to create a cohesive client experience through using templates.
The first thing we’re covering is the secret to creating stunning client guides without hiring a designer (I may have spoiled the surprise already).
So if you’ve ever procrastinated on a big project. Gone to create a client service guide. Stared at a blank page and ended up scrolling instagram instead. Maybe even inquired with a designer and decided that the client guide would have to wait until you have more money…
…templates are my not so well kept secret. The beauty of templates is you don’t have to stare at a blank page. You have a starting point and then all you have to do is input information that relates to you and your business.
I’m a designer of templates yet I still bought this slide deck in template form from another designer. It was to save me time so that I didn’t have to stare at a blank slide deck when I was creating this video. I knew it could lead to my own procrastination. So, even though I am a designer I bought from another designer.
In this case, templates motivate me to get the job done. I feel encouraged to keep working on the project because I know exactly what I need to do. I’ve got a framework of what I need to include. It also looks amazing from the start which is a great motivator to keep going until the job is finished.
Templates are also great a great affordable option. You get a well-designed service guide or welcome packet without paying to hire a designer. Yet the layout has still been created by a designer.
The second thing we’re covering is how to save time and remain consistent with all of your client communication.
What is a client guide or a service guide? It can be a pdf or printed client guide like a magazine or brochure. That’s one part of your client communication. But your client guide is actually also your social media, blog, YouTube channel or podcast.
All of these things are client guides they’re just different delivery methods.
So why be consistent? Before we look at how to be consistent across your client communication channels let’s quickly look at why you need to be consistent.
If you think of your potential clients like children. Kids need routine and consistency to build confidence and to learn about the world around them. Just like kids your potential clients need consistency to build confidence in your brand before they inquire or pay to work with you.
Are you consistent just now? Where are you showing up online right now? Would a stranger be able to identify you across platforms at a glance? Are your graphics cohesive as well as your brand message?
You want to be instantly recognisable wherever they find you.
How can you be consistent across channels?
You’ve guessed it…
…using templates.
As well as helping you to be consistent over the online platforms that you choose to use. You can create social media posts and header graphics in a matter of a couple of minutes.
So I’m gonna quickly come out of here and show you some templates in action.
This is one of my templates for a client guide. At the moment it says wedding but I’m going to show you how easy it is to customise a template.
This is using Canva which is a free online tool that you can use to create graphics of all different shapes and sizes. I design templates for Canva. This collection includes ones for service guides, pricing guides, thank you packets etc.
You don’t need to be a wedding professional to use this template I’ve just got that as an example.
I’m going to change this to events. Plus I’m going to go in and change the font to show you can have a completely different look. You can set up your brand fonts in Canva and then you refer back to them quite quickly when you need them.
You can just quickly change font sizes to suit what you’re looking for. I’ll change this to make it a bit smaller.
You can also change your colours. I’ve got this colour block here. You can show a pop of one of your brand colours.
It’s also possible to click and drag an image in here (to a placeholder). So, I’ll just find a photo quickly.
You can upload your own images really easily. All of this is available in the free version of Canva.
There is also the option to use Canva photos. The photos that I’m using here are in the paid version. But as I say, you can upload your own photos into the free version.
You can play around with your colours and fonts. This isn’t looking great with that dark colour so I’m going to change that. So you can change up the look really quickly and do that with the entire template.
You’ve got lots of layout options that you can customise. choose the pages you’re looking for in your client guide.
You can remove pages, you can drag and drop to change the order. It’s great to have a guideline there of what pages that you could include.
That’s how easy it is to create something quite quickly. You put your own text on the pages without having to start from scratch. You can easily change up the look just by changing to your brand fonts etc.
I’m going to go back to the slide deck.
I used a template for that demonstration. The template I used was from the Canva collection.
It’s a collection of templates that I have created for you to customise for your brand. To help you to be consistent with your whole client communication process.
I’ll just go through what’s included.
You get all of that for $47. The link in the description to the video or you can go to amyhardie.co/templates.
If you’re ready to start creating client guides with value packed service guides. To stop procrastinating and create one right now and invest in a shortcut that will make your life easier…
… then head over to amyhardie.com/templates and if you found this video useful then make sure you subscribe videos come out every Monday with design tips to help you grow your business